The prevalence of Theileria spp. infection was studied in sheep in the South Khorasan province in Iran from 2003 to 2004. A total of 840 sheep from 34 flocks were clinically examined and investigated for the presence of Theileria spp. in the appropriate blood smears and any tick species on the body of the animals. In this study, 11.9% of sheep were infected with Theileria spp., with a parasitem...

Hyaloma spp. has been described as the most abundant species that transmitted ovine piroplasms in Fars province. The traditional methods of diagnosis infected ticks vectors are based on morphological characteristics that have some problems. The best methods for detection and characterization of the protozoan parasites in ticks are the molecular biological methods. The aim of this study was to s...

BACKGROUND A huge effort in rhinoceros conservation has focused on poaching and habitat loss as factors leading to the dramatic declines in the endangered eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) and the southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). Nevertheless, the role disease and parasite infections play in the mortality of protected populations has largely received lim...

Theileria annulata, which is part of the Theileria sergenti/Theileria buffeli/Theileria orientalis group, preferentially infects cattle and results in high mortality and morbidity in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Central Asia. The polypeptide Tams1 is an immunodominant major merozoite piroplasm surface antigen of T. annulata that could be used as a marker for epidemiological studies and p...

Apicomplexan parasites of the genera Theileria and Plasmodium have complicated life cycles including infection of a vertebrate intermediate host and an arthropod definitive host. As the Plasmodium parasite progresses through its life cycle, it enters a number of different cell types, both in its mammalian and mosquito hosts. The fate of these cells varies greatly, as do the parasite and host mo...

Theileria parasites invade and transform bovine leukocytes causing either East Coast fever (T. parva), or tropical theileriosis (T. annulata). Susceptible animals usually die within weeks of infection, but indigenous infected cattle show markedly reduced pathology, suggesting that host genetic factors may cause disease susceptibility. Attenuated live vaccines are widely used to control tropical...

the aim of this study was to detect and differentiate theileria annulata and t. lestoquardi (hirci) by pcr. members of the genus theileria are tick-borne hemoprotozoan parasites those cause fatal and enervating diseases of cattle and sheep in iran . in order to develop a specific method for detecting and identification of theileria species, specific primers from the surface protein (sp) sequenc...

The intracellular parasite Theileria is the only eukaryote known to transform its mammalian host cells. We investigated the host mechanisms involved in parasite-induced transformation phenotypes. Tumour progression is a multistep process, yet 'oncogene addiction' implies that cancer cell growth and survival can be impaired by inactivating a single gene, offering a rationale for targeted molecul...

A reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization assay was adapted and applied for equine blood samples collected at the animal hospital of the University of Zurich to determine the presence of piroplasms in horses in Switzerland. A total of 100 equine blood samples were included in the study. The V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and analyzed using ...

Theileria species are common in tropical and subtropical regions and cause great economical losses inruminants. Two species, T. lestoquardi and T. ovis, are suspected to cause ovine theileriosis in Iran. Theepidemiological aspects of ovine theileriosis in Iran are poorly understood and further investigations bysensitive and precise techniques are required. In a previous study, a sensitive and s...